Pokemon MD Seven Saviors
by Frost3332
Summary: Evil traits were realeased into the world of pokemon and now all the pokemon are turning evil! A curse prohibits pokemon from sealing these traits away, but humans can save them. Seven humans take the form of pokemon to save the world. But can they do it?
1. Prolouge

"Every being in this world has both good and evil in them. There problem is some have more evil then good. At times we can't help it, we fall to the dark side, now and then. This, of course, is expected. No one is perfect. Pulling back to the good side, however, is the key. Some beings stumble so far down that they can never get back up. There was one time when just about everyone fell to the dark side. Only a few creatures remained good, and they to were struggling not to fall.

"Thankfully, this world has a deity that will never let everyone fall. This deity was the exception to the rule of having both good and evil; naturally, as a good god contains no evil. The world, however, did hold an opposing force. A being of pure evil was a rival to the deity. With fake promises and piles of lies, that evil being had lured nearly everyone over to that dark side. Still, there was hope. There's always hope, no matter how void of hope the situation may seem. The deity called out to the living creatures, seven responded. Those seven were the only remaining creatures that had not fallen yet. Each one had a certain, pure, trait. These trains were called virtues.

"Now the great deity called out to these seven. They all received instructions to penetrate the lair of the evil being, and to fin the evil trait that was the exact opposite of their good virtue. Only they could face the evil trait without being taken over by its power. So bravely, the seven creatures did just that. They became heroes that day. They defeated the evil, then called out to the great deity, who locked each captured evil into a gem.

"The seven saviors each took the gym of the power they had defeated and traveled to far away places to hide the gyms. The places they hid them were the seven most spectacular places in the whole world, and no one, to this day, has bothered them.

"Now without those seven evil traits, the vile being lost most of its power. With the last of it, the being placed a spell onto the gems, just after they had been set down. The spell was that no creature from this world could ever touch the gems again, and no creature in this world could ever face the evil inside them again.

"Now, since the evil was already trapped, many creatures shrugged of this spell, they thought it was worthless. What was the point of forbidding creatures to re-do something when it was already done? They didn't understand, so they didn't care. Ignorance, now why couldn't that have been locked into a gem as well?

"Anyways, there was a point to the spell, you see, slowly, the evil being was recovering power. Only a few creatures realized this, and they also realized that, one day, the evil being would gain enough power to destroy the gems. If that ever happened then all of the horrible traits of the world would be released once again! All of the creatures would once again fall, as we are very susceptible to caving into these evil traits!

"There was, however, a prophecy. This prophecy confirmed the beliefs of those who were wary, and it also brought words of new saviors. Because of the curse, no creatures from our world could re-seal the evil, so saviors from another world were to be summoned. Those saviors? Humans."

"What is a human like. Mom?" Singe had heard the story so many times he knew by heart what a human looked like, but still, every time, he wanted to be told again. Every detail from the story had to be stored in his mind with utmost care. As far as he was concerned, this story was the most important thing he would ever have to learn. His mother, a beautiful houndoom, laughed lightly. She had a wonderful laugh, one that always made Singe close his eyes in pure joy. "Humans are strange creatures, they have no fur, scales, or feathers and they stand on two legs. They come in many different sizes and colors, they speak differently from each other, and they have no special abilities as we do." Singe could not imagine that creatures like this would ever save the world. "What else did the prophecy say?" He pressed. His mother paused briefly, digging through her memory to find that part of the story. "It said that the humans must keep their identity a secret, if the evil being found out about them, there would be trouble. The prophecy also said that they must somehow recapture the evil trait and lock it away again, before its too late."

"Did it say when?" Singe asked this question every time he heard the story, and he always received the same answer "we'll have to wait and see." His patient mother licked him gently, then padded off to her own bed. Singe couldn't sleep, he stayed up, simply thinking about how wonderful it would be to witness the saving of the world. He wished he could be a hero in some way, perhaps defeat that evil being. Perhaps aid the humans on their mission. In another world of Pokémon, humans and Pokémon worked together, side by side. In this partular world though, there was absolutely no human contact. Many claimed that if any humans ever saw this place it would be ruined. The corresponding world of humans was empty of Pokémon as well, they probably didn't even know what Pokémon were! Singe tried to imagine what it would be like to live without powers. He couldn't thing of any good thing humans could do, any purpose in their life. They couldn't battle, they wouldn't last long on a mission. Did they even know about shops and banks? Were they savages? Singe shuddered at the thought of savages saving his dear world.

Suddenly, Singe realized something. If these humans were indeed powerless, or savages, they would have trouble defeating the evil being. They would need training! And who better to train them then a young houndour that has memorized every word of the story of the seven gems? At that moment, Singe knew what he was going to do. He was going to devote his entire life into the training and preparation of these humans. He would help them defeat the evil being! If they didn't come in his lifetime, then he would have trained another, an apprentice! He would keep training apprentices until one of them, one day, finally would help the poor, pathetic humans save the world!

This now, was Singe's self proclaimed purpose in life. He meditated over the thought until he could no longer hold his eyelids up. Finally submitting to the pull of sleep, Singe rested his head on his paws, closed his eyes, and dreamed of the day he would help the humans save the world from the evil traits once again.

1


	2. Chapter 1: Blaze

The weight of the dense, smoky air pressed on Blaze's shoulders and water from the puddles in the street seeped into her worn out sneakers and weighed down her socks. The dark clouds hung overhead in a taunting manner. The rain always made the already dreary streets even more depressing. Still, Blaze strolled down the deserted street with a warm smile on her face. A streak of thunder tore through the grey clouds, and even more rain plummeted down from the heavens. Now, as the afternoon hours transformed into twilight, the rain became more like sleet.

A shiver erupted through Blaze's spine, but still, the warm smile remained. She reached her hand up and tucked her auburn hair, which was plastered to her face by the icy rain, back behind her ear. A car could be heard speeding down the road so Blaze dashed to the side and leapt up onto the sidewalk. The black bag on her back bounced as she did so, and her smile grew even bigger as she thought about what was in it.

'Whirl is going to love this!' Blaze tried to picture the excitement on her sister's face when she gave her such a wonderful present. Whirl was Blaze's half sister, as well as her primary caretaker. Their mother was a full time alcoholic and part time druggie. Both of their fathers were currently in jail. When Blaze was only five, Whirl, who had been seventeen at the moment, took Blaze away from their abusive, crazy mother. Since then, the two of them had bounced from one town to another, living of of whatever money Whirl could possible make.

A lightning bolt stuck a nearby tree and sent Blaze off in a sprint. Any other time, Blaze would have loved to marvel at the wonderful storm, but now, she knew she had to be home. Some sort of eerie feeling told her something was defiantly wrong, and she wanted to get home quickly. Her soaked, Auburn hair blew behind her, and water droplets rolled of her skin as she ran. When she turned the corner to her street, she knew that her hunch had been correct.

Parked in the front of the old, run down house, was a bright red Mercedes. It had huge tires with golden rims. Blaze knew that inside were leather seats and super speakers. She knew that the steering wheel was loaded with lights that glowed during night hours. She even knew that the car smelled like mildewed bread with sour cheese and rotten bananas. Years before, that car was her taxi. It had escorted her and her sister around town, now however, it was a red flag; a sure sign that Whirl was in trouble.

"Phil Tucker! Get your sorry rear outta this house! And get away from my sister!" The words erupted from Blaze's mouth the moment she ripped open the door. Sure enough there was Phil, Whirl's ex-boyfriend. Whirl had broken up with him the moment she could. In fact, she had only dated him out of desperation. He was filthy rich, and for a while, Whirl and Blaze had been living on the streets. Thus she pretended to like him so her and her sister could survive until Whirl found a new job and made enough money to live without him. Phil, however, was not to pleased when he realized he had been used. Every chance he got, he tracked them down and destroyed whatever he could. Usually, he came by when neither girls were home, but this time, Whirl had gotten home from work early.

"Blaze! Run!" Whirl's voice came from the kitchen. Phil turned to Blaze, and glared at her with furious eyes. He was in a state of rage. A crazed psychopath, destroying everything he could. Phil advanced torwds Blaze, like a lion advances towards prey. He seemed to have beast like qualities. His short brown hair was spiked up n every direction, like someone had rubbed a balloon on his head. He took another step, each advance was like a threat, but it hardly phased Blaze, she darted past him as if he were only a figment of her imagination, then she fell to her knees besides her sister. Whirl was lying on the floor, badly beaten.

"Show some respect! Look at me when I hit you!" Blaze rose her head and locked eyes with Phil, she watched his movements from the corners of her eyes as she stared at his fiery eyes. He started to strike, but she rolled to the side and stuck out her leg, hitting him just behind his knee and making him stumble foreword. He spun around and lunged at her, she launched herself from her crouched position and rammed into him, sending him back even though he was nearly twice her age and twice her size.

Phil seized Blaze, grabbing her by the arms with a viper grip, but Blaze wasn't about to give up. "You're not going anywhere girly" Phil growled as Blaze tried to wiggle free. There it was, girly. The name Phil had given her the day he meet her, and the name she despised more then anything else. She rose her leg and kneed him, hard. As he cringed, she spun, ripping herself out of his grip. Once her arms were free, she punched him square on the face. He stumbled, and she delivered a final blow. A kick right to his chest made him fall.

Blaze stepped over her fallen enemy and placed her foot right on his chest. "I suggest you leave" she snapped. She leaned over him, her wet, red-brown hair dangled in his face. Her golden brown eyes blazed. He glared back at her, shoved her leg out of the way and leapt to his feet. She leapt behind him and snatched both his arms, bending them behind his back before he could even strike.

"Im not asking again" Blaze growled into the ear of the thirty year old. "leave!" With a forceful shove, Blaze let go off Phil and waited for him to leave. She glared at him threateningly, and he turned to face her. "Next time!" he threatened with a point of his finger, "next time I'll show no mercy. Blaze held her tongue, and just kept staring. Phil stormed out the door, slamming it behind him and shaking the whole house. Blaze stayed stone still until she heard the start of his over-powered engine, then she rushed back to her sister's side.

"He smashed through the window, I heard him and crouched down behind the counter. He smashed everything in sight. In a rage, just tying to destroy. I reached for the phone when he went into the bedrooms. I dialed for 911, and tried to explain the situation, but he heard me and took the phone before I could finish. He threw me to the floor and kicked me repeatedly." Whirl cringed, as if it hurt just to talk about what Phil had done.

"its over now!" Blaze tried to sooth her big sister. "I'll call an ambulance, get you to the hospital, it will all be better soon" "We can't afford it…" "I'm old enough to get a job now, I'll find one, and get enough money to pay for the hospital stay. I'll work while you rest, we'll sell whatever is not damaged." Whirl started to respond, but Blaze interrupted her. "Just rest!" she ordered as she rose to get the phone.

Phil had completely destroyed the only phone they had in the house. Perhaps one of the neighbors would help. Blaze glanced down at her sister, struggling to breath. Phil must have hurt her more then she first thought. "Ill be back in a minute" Blaze promised as she darted out the front door and into the pouring rain. Her backpack was still on her back, and Whirl's present was still bouncing around inside it. "Please, oh please keep her safe." Blaze mumbled out a prayer as she darted across the street and over to a neighboring house. "Emergency, Please help!" Blaze shouted as she banged on the door. An older lady opened it, she had chocolate skin and hair as black as night. "My sisters hurt, may I use your phone?" Blaze asked. "Oh goodness yes dear, come in out of that treacherous weather. The phone is over there on the kitchen counter. I'll get you a towel." The lady had a voice as sweet as honey. She sounded just like Blaze always imagined a real mother to sound. Just hearing her voice already made Blaze relax.

"Hello 911 emergency how may I help you?" Blaze smiled as she heard a voice on the other line, and she quickly explained the situation. "And what's your address?" "my address?" "Yes, where do you live? So we know where to send the ambulance." "Excuse me one moment." Blaze set the phone down and darted to the window, hoping to see the numbers on the front of the house. It was impossible to see anything through the rain though. "Do you know the address of the house across the street?" Blaze asked as the nice lady came back with a towel. "I know my own address, it should be close enough." The woman replied. She draped the towel around Blaze's shoulders then picked up the phone and gave her own address.

"Thank you!" Blaze called to her. She wanted to thank the lady for everything; the warm towel, letting her use the phone, even letting her inside. "There on their way!" The lady called as she hung up the phone "and your welcome dear, now can you go get your sister, or is it better not to move her?" "I'd rather not move her, but I'd like to stay with her." Blaze replied as she headed for the door. "Wait!" The women called, Blaze turned back to her, then realized she still had the towel. "Sorry" she apologized as she handed the towel back to the women, but the lady shook her head and instead reached into a hall closet and pulled out an umbrella. "Here!" she said. "now you come back if you need anything else." Blaze smiled, then she reached up and gave the women a quick hug before darting into the rain again, shielded by an umbrella for the first time in her life.

Blaze folded up the colorful umbrella and leaned it gently against the wall of her house as she slipped through the front door again. "Help is on the way, Whirl!" she called. Once again she fell to her sister's side, intertwining her fingers with her sisters. She would much rather it have been herself that was beaten then Whirl. Grip tightening, eyes closing, Blaze tried to reassure the older girl that everything would be alright. Most times, Blaze was a child, dancing in the rain and singing cheery children songs, times like this, however, made up for it. At these times, she acted much older. After gently kissing her sister's forehead, Blaze rose to her feet and wondered through the house, gathering birth certificates, driver's license, and any other documents the hospital might request. She was just stuffing a wad of cash into her bag with the documents when the ambulance arrived. The girls didn't have life insurance and Blaze wasn't sure if they needed to pay or not. She had taken every dollar that they had left and hoped it would be enough.  
Tears sprinkled down Blaze's face as she watched the medics carry her sister into the ambulance. They mixed with the sweet, cold rain on her cheeks, but kept a hint of their salty taste as they glided over her lips. Blaze licked her lips and brushed the moisture from her face as she answered a few basic questions that a medic and police officer asked her. "Patients age?" "twenty eight" "heath insurance?" "No" "cause?" "Beating." "Suspect?" "Phil Tucker, he's long gone by now." Most of the questions didn't even procces in Blaze's mind as she mumbled of answers to them. Finaly the medics had all the information they needed at the moment. The driver hopped into his seat and another man climbed in beside him. A police car still hummed out the melody of sirens as some officers scanned the house.

The ambulance closed up the back doors and the last person climbed aboard. The engions started and the emergency transport vheical started moiving forward. The sound brought Blaze from a zoned out state. "Wait" she called out as she rushed forward, the bag on her back bounced with her quick steps. Slowley, the ambulence slowed. "What are you doing?" A man called as he leaned out the window and turned to face Blaze. "Were you going to make me walk to the hospital?" Blaze replied, folding her arms across her chest. In moivies the family and friends of the patient get to ride with them in the ambulence!" Blaze replied. The man paused. Could a sixteen year old girl really expect life to be just like T.V.? Finaly, the man shrugged and slipped out of his seat. "Fine then, you can sit upfront."

"I want to sit with Whirl" Blaze replied stubbornly. "No seatbelts" the man warned. "Don't crash, the severly ingured person isn't wearing a seatbelt either." There was no reply to that, the man gave in and unlocked the back, opening the doors to wear Whirl was, accompanied by another worker. Blaze climbed in, sitting on the other side of her sister and the man closed the door behind her. Moments latter, the car started again.

"What's your name?" Blaze looked over at the other man in the back, he seemed to be in his late twenties like Whirl. He offered Blaze a friendly smile, reassuring her that it was alright. Blaze hesitated, her and Whirl were not very trusting of people, they had kept to themselves for the most part. Rarely did they reveal any more information then absolutely necessary. However, something about this man seemed different. Blaze saw the friendliness in him right away, and somehow knew he was a good person. She could tell the true sides of most people. "My name's Blaze" she replied "and that's Whirl"

"Blaze and Whirl" The man repeated, "what interesting names. How did you get them?" "Whirl named me" Blaze replied, she was used to people calling her name strange or interesting, and normally she would just snap at them. Here in the back of an ambulance, though, there was nothing better to do then explain, and there was no harm in explaining something to an EMT. "Whirl named both I and herself. Our parents called us something else, but these names took over and the others were forgotten." As she said this, she suddenly realized the matter of names might be an issue to the doctors. Luckily she had grabbed Whirl's birth certificate, she could look up Whirls old name and give it to the doctor right away so there was no confusion.

"Why those names?" The man persisted, innocently hoping for a good story. "Whirl was always so busy that she had her head was always spinning and her mind was in a whirl. She never stopped thinking of ways to save the day, one way or another. She says she named me Blaze because, typically, I'm calm like a gently candle fire, but when my family or friends are threatened, I blaze up into a raging wild fire and protect them at all costs." There was a long pause, then finally the man spoke again. "There is meaning behind your names, I wish there was some interesting thing for me to share with you, but there's nothing special about the name Henry."

Both of them chuckled lightly. Henry had a nice laugh, like the man at the jewelry store had. Blaze tugged on the straps of the backpack, feeling the edge of the box inside it press against her. She smiled. She passed by that store every day on her way home from her part time job at a little candy shop. The man always laughed when he saw her peering in the window, and he always invited her in.

Blaze was never one for jewelry, but something about the store seemed to call her, to draw her in every time. Each day after work she would wonder through it, delicately touching each of the jewels, all of the fancy things that she and Whirl could never afford. Each time, she always ended up in front of one specific item. A small, jelwed music box. There were three different types of stones on the box. Rubies, sapphires, and gold. The gems were all tiny, but each one formed a figure; a bird to be exact.

The birds were characters from a movie that the two sisters used to watch together. Whirl had found an old DVD player one day, as well as a movie to go with it. She had been at a thrift store, and she bought both items for a great deal. The two girls had stretched out in front of that DVD player ever Friday night for months, watching the same thing, the movie with legendary birds and more fantasy creatures. And that song! Blaze would never forget the sweet music played by the girl in the movie. The music box played it when you opened it, that song was probably what sold Blaze on the deal. For months she had saved up her money, until finally she could by it. No here it was. The DVD was long gone, Phil Tucker had destroyed it years ago. Yet the memories, and the song, had filled Blaze's heart for so many years. This box would surly bring a smile to Whirl's face!

"Where here!" Henry's voice brought Blaze back from her memories, she watched as he and other medic carried Whirl on the stretcher out of the truck and into the building. They transported her to a hospital bed on wheels, and wheeled her to a room. Blaze trailed behind.

After a few minutes talking with a hospital worker, presenting certificates and forms, and signing documents, Blaze finally managed to get her sister properly signed up with the hospital and then trailed over to her sister's room. She sat next the white bed in the small room. It was a nice, clean place. There wasn't much, but there was a TV. That was one thing that they never had before. Blaze sat patiently, cruising the channels of the television, her amazement growing as each new channel came up. 'It never ends!' She thought to herself. Soon she head a low groan. Her sister was finally waking up, the doctors had given her pain medicine to help her sleep before, but now it seemed she was coming to.

"Whirl!" Blaze exclaimed happily as she darted over to the side of the hospital bed. "Feeling better?" Whirl smiled at her little sister. "Aint nothing ganna keep me down!" She promised. Both girls shared a wide grin. "The doctors say you have some fractured ribs and a broken arm, you have to stay here a few days until your fully recovered. Whirl nodded and was about to ask something when a nurse suddenly poked her head into the room. "Visiting hours are over" She called. Blaze froze and turned to face her. "Can't I stay the night?" "Children under 18 may not stay the night, that's our policy here." "Please?" Blaze asked. The nurse shook her head.

The two of them argued more, soon the nurse realized that Blaze had no other family, and no place to stay. She offered to arrange for Blaze to stay at a foster home of some sort until Whirl recovered. Whirl then leapt into the argument, refusing for her sister to be left in the hands of strangers. Things didn't seem to be looking to bright, and Blaze was about to give into the idea of foster care. That's when a familiar voice, sweet as honey, interrupted. "She's welcome to stay with me."

All heads turned to face the women from across the street. Blaze darted forward and gave her a hug. "Thank you" she exclaimed, a wave of relief swept over her. She quickly whipped tears of joy and gratitude from her eyes, and brushed strands of her auburn hair out of her face. "Who's this?" Blaze turned to face her sister. "This is our neighbor, Whirl, she let me use her phone to call the ambulance. Whirl's eyes were narrow, but Blaze's were filled with gratitude and trust. She didn't doubt many people, sure she was causcious as Whirl had always taught her to be, but she trusted everyone as an inacinet puppy does. "it will be alright" Blaze promised her sister. After a moments pause, Whirl finally nodded her agreement.

So it was settled. Blaze was to stay with the nice neighbor, , until Whirl recovered She would visit each day, and spend the majority of her time at the hospital. Blaze turned to leave, then remembered the music box. "May I please have a moment to say goodbye to my sister?" She asked. Mrs,Rosie nodded "of coruse, dearie" She said as she and the nurse left the room and closed the door.

Immediately, the backpack was ripped open and Blaze took out the music box, that had waited patiently for so long. "I bought this for you!" Blaze announced as she set the box in her sister's hands. Whirl's eyes were filled with a childish gleam as she let her fingers glide across the top of the box. "its those creatures" she said, referring to the jeweled birds that decorated the top of the box. "open it" Blaze whispered. She was so excited that a whisper was all she could manage, anything more and she would be jumping up and down screaming.

Slowley, Whirl let her fingers lift up the top of the box. The sweet, gentle music filled the room. It sounded like angels playing a heavenly tune on a flute. Both of the girl's spirits were revised by this sweet tune, just as all was saved thanks to it in the movie. It filled them both with newfound hope and joy. Whirl leaned up, forgetting the pain of her ribs, and gave her sister a strong hug. "Thank you" she replied, a warm smile on her face. Blaze smiled back and solely took the box from her sister, setting in on the counter. "Goodnight Whirl" she said as she started to close the lid.

A bright gleam from inside the box attracted Blaze's attention, she opened it wide again and reached inside. There was a stature of a third bird in the box that spun with the music, but behind it was a round, silver object. Blaze pulled it out and looked at it. It seemed like a coin f some sort. An image of another creature was engraved on it. Something about this coin made Blaze's heart race faster. The world around her seemed to blur. Everything faded into nothingness. The object started to glow.

Blaze dropped the coin, but it didn't fall. Instead it hovered, just as it was. The coin kept glowing, the outline of the creature became more and more bolded. Blaze found that her hand was drawn to the coin almost by magic. The moment her finder touched the glowing coin, an unbearable light blinded Blaze from everything else. Screams of confusion filled the air, Blaze felt her body tingling, it felt like she was shrinking. She couldn't see anything besides the light. Her fingers seemed to mold together, her ears expanded. What on Earth was happening? There was something behind her now, was it part of her? She didn't know anymore, her nose grew larger as if she were ponoceo. Something seemed to cover her entire body. A blanket?

The strange feeling stopped and Blaze felt herself spinning. It was like a horrible nightmare. "Whirl!" She called out "Whirl!" her voice seemed to fade away. With one final whispered cry, Blaze found herself slipping into unconsciousness.

2


	3. Chapter 2: Pichu's Protector

Bright afternoon sunlight pounded down onto the beach as waves washed up, gently lapping at the black fur of an unconscious Pokémon. "Wha…" The little Zorua stirred, blinking open her eyes into the intense sunlight. She sat back and lifted her paws to her drowsy eyes, rubbing the sleep from them as if she would wipe away all of her fatigue. The tactic worked in its own way. She may not have succeeded in whipping away her exhaustion, but as she opened her eyes and looked at the paws in front of her she scared herself right out of her lazy state.

"eeeeeek!" Heart pounding, mind racing, the Zorua flew backwards and let out another startled squeal as she landed into the cold salt water. She raced back onto the beach and stood there, closing her eyes tight, and panting. Where am I? What am I? Is this a dream? She wondered. Minutes ticked by and finally, she had calmed herself down enough to open her eyes again. She looked down at her paws, which had been hands only moments before. Or was it more then mere moments? Her paws were red, and her legs were a smoky grey color like any usual Zorua. Of course, she didn't know that. Pokémon, where she came from, were mere legends. Rumors if you may, of creatures of another world that once lived in harmony with humans. Rumors were rumors though, and she had long ago given them up as only that.

"Get a hold of yourself, Natasha, all you have to do is pinch yourself and you'll wake up." The little Pokémon tried to calm herself down again and lifted a paw to pinch herself. Instead she just stared at it in dismay. Finally she screamed out. "How the heck am I supposed to pinch myself when I have no freaking fingers? Didn't scientists think this one through when they declared pinching will bring all dreamers back to reality?"

Natasha collapsed onto the sand feeling hopelessly lost and confused. This felt so real! Only moments ago she was out with her friends at the movie theater getting tokens for a game at the arcade. One of the tokens that came out of the machine was a wired coin with a figure on it, a figure that resembled the outline of a Zorua. Did the coin do this to her? Natasha shook her head rapidly, trying to get rid of the ideas as if they were gnats buzzing fairy tales into her big furry ears.

"Alright, wake up time!" Natasha scanned her surroundings. A palm tree seemed like a promising way to force herself out of dreamland. She kicked back some sand and crouched lower to the ground, which was hard to do considering she was only about two feet tall. Her muscles tensed and her eyes narrowed onto her target, the trunk of the tree. "One, two, three!" She took of running, kicking up sand behind her. Each step brought her closer to the collision with the tree. Closer to pulling herself out of this strange dream. Closer to- "Pichuuuuu!" A strange creature suddenly fell out of the tree right into Natasha's path. She tried to put on the breaks, but ended up spraying beach sand into every direction. With one more scream and a last minute dive, Natasha found herself crashing into a tangle of branches of a bush at the edge of the beach.

Natasha stumbled out of the bushes, sticks were sticking up out of her fur and she was covered in dirt. A crash like that would have put anyone to shame, but she was absolutely beaming in joy. "That was great!" She chuckled, shaking her fur of as a dog in her world might. The shake seemed to bring her even more joy, and she did it again even though it wasn't at all necessary. The other Pokémon, a baby Pichu, shielded its eyes from the dirt that was flung of the Zorua's fur. "I can't believe it! I'm really really real! I'm not dreaming! I'm an extraordinary creature in a different place. Did I die?" She whirled around to the Pichu, waiting for an answer to the question. The baby Pokémon stuck shrugged and sucked on her tiny yellow paw.

Forcing herself to calm down was impossible. Natasha began rapidly wagging her tail. It was only when the violent started a mini sandstorm did she realize that she actually had a tail. Then she was even more thrilled. "Do you know what this means?" Again the baby Pokémon shrugged and continued sucking. "It means that I don't have to take any more orders from my annoying parents! No more being miss perfect. No more manners no more dresses no more fancy hairstyles boring gatherings or raising my pinky when drinking tea out of porcelain cups!"

The baby finally took her paw out of her mouth and stared at the crazy Pokémon in front of her. "You talk a lot" she said, then stuck her slobbery paw in her mouth again. Natasha laughed gently. "Sorry, just hyper. What's your name?" "Pichu!" The reply was muffled, as Pichu still had her paw in her mouth. "Alright Pichu, what do I look like?" Pichu was entirely shocked by her new friends question, but replied anyways. "Grey, black neck fur, red dos on your head, red paws, and a fluffy spot on your head with a red top. Your neck is spiky and you have a blue thing on your tail."

Natasha reached up a red paw and touched the spikes around her neck "Its my necklace!" she realized. With a turn of her head, so glanced at her tail. "My other necklace? That was on my neck before! How did it get on my tail?" Pichu just shrugged. "Where are your parents?" Natasha asked. There was no reply. Pichu seemed to have zoned out, deep into thought.

Natasha sat down, wincing immediately. She had sat right on top of her own tail! That thing would take some time to get used to. After standing and repositioning herself, Natasha sat down again, her tail safely behind her. "At times I wished I didn't have any parents. Mine were always getting on my case about every little thing! Natasha do this or Natasha do that, it was so aggravating!" Pichu just shrugged, and continued to gaze wistfully into the clouds. Natasha stretched onto her back and looked at them too. "

I like finding shapes in the clouds, do you do that too?" Pichu shook her head. "Then try it now!" A red paw pointed up to a big fluffy cumulous cloud stretched out horizontally and a triangle-shaped cloud above it. "See that looks like a sailboat!" Natasha announced merrily. Pichu looked and looked, straining her eyes to see what her strange new friend saw so easily.

When at last the sight of the sailboat in the clouds appeared to Pichu, the little yellow Pokémon was overjoyed. She leapt up onto her feet pointing as if her life depended on it. "I see it I see it!" she sang as she spun around and did a little dance. Natasha laughed. Whatever saddening thought Pichu had about her parents were gone with the wind. Now, her whole world revolved around the sailboat in the sky. That's how little kids are; humans and Pokémon alike.

"Iggilybuff!" Pichu shouted as she bounced from foot to foot. Her little slobbery paw was slicing through the summertime air pointing franticly at another shape in the clouds. To Natasha, it looked like a big circle with tiny arms and legs sticking out. Was that what an Iggilybuff looked like? Was Iggiliybuff a strange creature like she and Pichu were? Natasha thought for a moment, she seemed to remember creatures like this. What were they again? Pokémon? Yes that was it! Pokémon; make believe creatures that existed only in folk stories, and ancient texts, and child's books. How were they suddenly real now? Natasha tried to remember the stories, but it was hard to recall them, especially with all of the excitement of being in a new place.

"Im'a show Buzz!" Pichu declared, then she bolted through the woods, stumbling as she ran. "Wait!" Natasha called for her new friend to stop, but soon realized it was a hopeless cause. Once again, the strange Zorua found herself standing along one the beach of a world that wasn't her own. After a brief moment of staring of into the trees and considering her next move, she took off after the infant. She was a very independent girl, but she knew her limits. There was no way she could make it around an unfamiliar world in a form that wasn't human.

Natasha tried to keep up with the little Pokémon, but for a baby, Pichu was extraordinarily fast. Perhaps it was because Natasha wasn't used to running on all four legs and had tried to run on two at first. That mistake was soon corrected. It would be wiser to learn how to do things in her new form then try and force her new body to do things in the ways that were familiar to her. Occasionally, Natasha would hear a faint sucking noise, mixed with stumbling footsteps and lengthened breaths that told her she was right behind the baby Pokémon, but then, seconds later, she would loose track of the Pichu and find herself in silence again.

The used-to-be-human was about to give up when suddenly she heard a loud, desperate wailing. Was that-yes! It was Pichu's voice! Natasha weaved around the trees with new found zeal. Finally, she charged into the clearing. The scene that meet her made her pull back her lips to reveal shimmering, sharp, white teeth. There were five other Pokémon besides Pichu. One of them was cowering behind Pichu, he was yellow and black too, but didn't look like Pichu. Instead his arms were muscular, and his body was shaped similar to an egg. His 'ears' looked like electrical plugs, and he had a black thunderbolt on his stomach. "Don't hurt Buzz!" Pichu screamed, bubbling over in rage on behalf of her friend. Buzz, the Pokémon cowering behind her, seemed absolutely terrified.

The other four Pokémon were facing Pichu and Buzz. They seemed to be the definition of evil. Their eyes were filled with laughter as they poked fun at the baby Pokémon. "Whatcha ganna do, shock us? Oh I'm sooo scared!" An alligator Pokémon was talking, or at least, he reminded Natasha of an alligator. Her was dark brown and stood on his back too legs. He had a long narrow snout with sharp teeth, which stuck out of his mouth, which meant he would more closely relate to a crocodile in the human world. He had black striped and a pink belly, and his arms were folded across his chest showing of his narcissistic personality. Natasha already hated him with a burning passion.

Besides Crocodile Boy, there was a floating purple ghost with creepy hands that weren't even attached to it's body. It had a wide, gapping mouth that, in truth, took up the majority of its body. The creature had spikes protruding on either side of its head and white eyes that seemed to paralyze all those who gazed into them. "Haunt Haunt Haunt!" He chuckled as he floated closer to the infants in a threatening manner.

There was also a blackbird who looked like a crow wearing a which's hat. Her feathers were black as a raven's and her beak; a yellow sun. The tail of the bird was pulled narrowly at one part, then filled out to be as fluffy as a rabbit's tail. There was a red band around the narrowest part that seemed to Natasha to be like a hair band. Of course, however, it was indeed part of the bird.

Last, was the ringleader of the group. He was a black dog almost the exact same height as Natasha(in her Zorua form). He has pointy ears and silver plat on top of his head. Silver bands encompassed his wrists and two silver strips rested on top of his back. His tail was rather short, but not as short as a boxer's. The color of his belly was the same as his muzzle, a chestnut brown. "You shoulda surrendered this territory in the first place! Then we would have let you live…maybe." The black dog Pokémon smirked, revealing his sharp canine teeth. The muscles in his legs tensed, like a mountain lion about to leap.

"Leave them alone!" Natasha darted forward, standing in front of Pichu and her friend. She bared her own teeth as she glared at the four Pokémon before her. She had no idea how to fight like Pokémon fight. She still had trouble telling her new body what to do. There was no way she could take on the four bullies, but, they didn't know that. Natasha puffed out her chest and arched up her back, as she had often seen cats on animal planet do in order to look bigger. In this scenario, however, it did not have the desired effect of scaring away foes.

"What the heck is she doing?" The black bird asked. "I think she swallowed a balloon and is inflating." The gator boy offered up his best guess and gave a carefree shrug. "Looks like a Quilfish." The ghost added. It was the black dog Pokémon that offered the devilish plot. "If she's a balloon, I say we pop her!" The purple ghost vanished, then appeared right next to Natasha and gave her a sharp jab with his long pointy finger, which for some reason didn't phase through her as a real ghost would.

"Oww!" Natasha exclaimed in shock, then she lunged and snapped her teeth shut, but the ghost was already gone. "Look it worked!" Of course, Natasha had released the breath she held in and thus lost her puffed out chest. All four bad guys laughed menacingly, and Natasha grew even more angry. "You four are big jerks, I'll beat some sense into all of you!" The words were out of her mouth before she even knew what she said.

"Oh the lil munchkins ganna take us on to save the worthless babies!" The black bird cackled and threw her head up into the air. "I bet the little infants could beat her!" She added as she danced around in a flash of feathers. The others joined in on the mocking, and Natasha began to overflow with disgust. Never in all her life had bubbling over in anger like a volcano actually caused an eruption, but this time, it did! A blast of darkness erupted from her body and flooded over her enemies. It was charged with static of some sort and hit them all right on target.

"She can use Night Burst!" The black dog noted after he recovered from the shock. "She's stronger then she looks!" Squawked the blackbird. She seemed to be hurt more then the others, but they all seemed to be struggling, and defiantly surprised. "I'm not what I seem to be!" Natasha called with a smug look. Her eyes were sparkling and her head was held high. She was extremely proud of herself for managing to perform a real Pokémon move on her foes.

"We can do better" The black dog called, he glared at his new enemy with eyes clouded in hatred. "Team up!" He stepped forward and opened his mouth wide. Natasha didn't know what was coming, but she knew it wouldn't be good. A red glow appeared in the back of his mouth and she leapt out of the way. He was expecting that though. His blast of fire turned towards her as he turned his head to face her and she found herself overpowered and buried alive in the flames.

"You aren't what you seem? Ehh?" The black dog stepped closer "I haven't seen you around before, but I was hoping you had some fight in you! Guess not. Oh well." His words flustered Natasha; she wished she could be something bigger so she could smash him easily. She could almost feel herself growing. It was as if her tail really was growing longer, and her body really was changing to be more like a human. She could almost feel her snout grow longer too, and her teeth sharper. Then, as the flames cleared, her imagination painted expressions of total shock and fear on the faces of all four Pokémon as they stared at her giant monster self.

"That vile creature stole my look!" The angry gator charged forward, but Natasha caught him with clawed, webbed hands that matched his perfectly. The two stayed like that in a wrestling match, pushing each other back. They were the same size, and had the same body build. Was this another part of a dream? Was it still possible to be real? Now she was an entirely different Pokémon! She was the Crocodile Pokémon just like her opponent.

The two of them rested for a bit. The crocodile boy had the advantage of being used to his form and having more strength, but Natasha made up for it in adrenaline. She shoved her opponent down to the dirt and turned to his friends. "I'm not what I seem, am I?" she snapped furiously, baring her new crocodile teeth. The black bird, eager to protect her friends, raced towards Natasha, but Pichu was faster. The little electric baby Pokémon darted in front of the charging bird and unleashed a powerful spark attack. It was astonishing for a Pokémon so young to have such a strong move, and it surly helped that it was super effective against the bird. With an outraged chirp, the bird backed up.

"She's weak, just attack the midgets!" The dog Pokémon ordered. With a flash of purple, the ghost appeared right in front of the two electric baby Pokémon. "Boo" he exclaimed as he licked them both with a giant tongue. The two began shaking in pure terror, and they were unable to move. "Run!" Natasha shouted as she dashed over to shield them from the ghost. As she did so, the crocodile boy got up and swung his mighty tail, tripping Natasha and sending her face first to the floor.

"Not so tough now, ehh matey?" He asked as he placed a big reptile foot on her spiky back. "Dirt taste good?" She let out a hiss like noise and wacked him right on the rear with her own tail. When he was down, she rolled over and pinned him, then thrust his own head into the dirt. "You tell me!" she snapped, snapping her huge jaws closed right above his neck.

"Alright, Spooks, give snatch the midgets, come one Billy you can't loose to a girl, its disgraceful!" The black bird shot the dog an annoyed look as he barked out his last comment. "Boys are no better then girls!" She screamed. The dog paid no attention. Instead he sent another flamethrower at Natasha, not caring if it hit his friend, Billy, in the process. Natasha was ready this time, she waited until the flames almost hit her, then she leapt of her victim and tumbled away from the flames. Her sharp eyes turned to the ghost, who had a baby in each hand and was dragging them deeper into the woods. She raced through the woods, but the big gator body was ungraceful and slow. She found herself wishing for her first form and soon she was back to her old Zorua self again, charging around the trees with ease on her four short legs.

She heard footsteps behind her with her oversized ears and somehow knew that it was the dog who was chasing her, and gaining fast. "Leave us alone!" She howled in annoyance as she dodged a blow from behind and continued to chase the ghost who had swept away her friends. This world was much more action-packed then back home!

"If you didn't want trouble you shouldn't have gotten involved!" The dog snapped as he shot another blow towards Natasha. Dodged again. "My words were a warning not a plea! I suggest you back out of the fight before your turned to crow food!" "Mechi aint ganna eat me!" The dog argued, he shot a third attack, and this time chomped down right on Natasha's new tail.

"Owww!" Natasha roared as she tried to yank her tail free and continue running. Maybe having a tail wasn't such a good thing after all. The dog was pulling her back, and they were getting farther and farther away from the two baby Pokémon. The dog sank his teeth deeper with every pull.

Suddenly, Natasha remembered the first odd thing she had done, when she sent a wave of static darkness over her enemies. If she could make herself do it again then her problems would be solved! She focused hard, but concentration was not abundant with the singing pain on her tail. The dog's teeth burned! The snicker of the ghost Pokémon sounded through the trees and cries of terrified Pokémon bounced back with it. Another evil laugh followed the screams, and Natasha felt her teeth clench in anger.

Somehow, Natasha's anger controlled her strange power. As she filled up with anger for the second time, electrical darkness poured out of her. The move forced the black dog to release his grip, and gave Natasha the moment to speed up. The ghost had turned back to glance at the black cloud, and she had practically teleported over and swept the infants away from him. "No leave!" she spat. More darkness poured out of her and the ghost backed away. He wasn't so tough without his buddies around.

"Who knew a ghost could be such a scardy cat?" Natasha chuckled as she took a threatening step towards the purple ghost. "A few more blasts of that dark thunder of mine and you'll be to scared to even go outside!" Spooks barely managed to hold his ground until his friends came, and the moment they arrived he teleported over to them instead of staying in front of Natasha. When all four bullies were together again, they turned to face Natasha again, this time they were outraged, especially the dog and gator.

With blazing eyes and bared teeth, Natasha meant business. She stood in front of the two infants and glared at the vile creatures before her. "You haven't learned you lesson yet?" she spat. Her fur was fluffed up once again, as if someone had rubbed a balloon all over her body and filled her fur with static. "Were not the ones about to be schooled!" The gator snapped, then the four of them stepped forward at once. "Combined attack!" Squawked the blackbird. A beam of blackness, a stream of purple energy, a blur of feathers, and a blast of fire were all propelled towards Natasha at once. There was no avoiding it. All four attacks hit her full on, and she let them. If she dodged, they would hit the young Pokémon, and possibly be fatal.

Just before the moves hit her, Natasha started glowing, and, as the four moves knocked her out in a combined attack, they reflected right back at the users, twice as strong. That's how all five Pokémon fell to the floor at once, unconscious. Natasha, however, wasn't left to lie in the open like the others. Instead, the two grateful young Pokémon she had saved dragged her through the woods to their own secret area of safety.

"Wha?" Natasha blinked her big blue eyes open and scanned her new surroundings. She was in a small space, perhaps a cave of some sort. It was tight, yet cozy. On the other side of the small space were Pichu and her friend, Buzz. Light filtered into the area from an opening in one corner. "What happened? Natasha asked as she rubbed her eyes with her red paws. Her entire body ached. It was as if she had been slammed by a huge truck that was going a hundred miles an hour.

The two young Pokémon turned, then scrambled over to Natasha's side when they realized she was awake. Another Pokémon came over, younger then the other two. The Pokémon had a circular body and tiny nubs for arms and legs. On top of the little pink Pokémon head was a small poof of fur that, to Natasha, seemed like an afro in the making. The shape of the Pokémon seemed somehow a tad familiar, and Natasha realized that this was the Pokémon Pichu had seen in the clouds, Iggilybuff!

"I'm glad your alright!"

"Thanks for saving us!"

"How you become a warubiru?"

"You a good fighter"

Comments flooded out of the three little Pokémon so fast that they blurred together and Natasha had to pause to make sense of it all. "Your names Tasha or something, right?" Pichu asked. Natasha didn't recall telling Pichu her name, but she probably had let it slip during a conversation. "Natasha is my old name" she said after a pause, "but I'm thinking about changing it." Buzz seemed shocked "You can't change your name" he exclaimed with wide eyes "its what you are!" Natasha just shook her head "I'm not the same creature I was back at my home." She said after more hesitation. The little Pokémon all seemed very stumped.

"Do you ever feel like part of you has changed? Like you've grown a little, or perhaps even shrunk? Do you ever find yourself walking differently, perhaps with a prideful stride or a playful bounce in your step? Perhaps your outlook on life has changed, or even your outlook on yourself. What I'm trying to say is, if you go through some sort off drastic change in your life that turns you into someone different, then shouldn't you change your name?"

There was a long pause as the others tried to make sense of Natasha's speech. Once the words sank in, Pichu broke the silence. "What's your name then?" she asked innocently. Natasha knew the question was coming, and she had reflected over it for a while. "Crow" she said. Somehow the name suited her. Dark and mysterious, yet, friendly.

"Crow, can you stay with us? The meanies might come back!" Pichu pleaded, her eyes filled with fear. Natasha, newly named Crow, scanned all of their faces, Desperation and fear was plastered on all of them. They needed her, and quite truthfully, she needed them too. She had managed to beat her opponents this time, but she had no idea how. She didn't know what it meant to be a Pokémon, and these young orphans needed someone to look after them. If she stayed, they could help each other out. "Yes" Crow said, nodding her head firmly. "I will stay here with you, and I will protect you."

2


	4. Chapter 3: The Ghost's Secret

The gleaming moon was a lamp in the canvas of the night. It was the center of attention, the main dancer on the stage. The stars glistened in the background, flashing and sparkling, stirring peace and tranquility into the night. The astronomical items were only the backdrop of the night scene, however. Volbeat and Illuminse darted around the sky, lighting up in delight. To most of the watchers, their beauty and flare was taken for granted. It is often the way with everyone. Common things that happen every night are overlooked and just considered normal. To one watcher, however, this scene was new, stunning and wonderful. Kendo rolled over onto the grass in the sweet smelling grass and stared up at the sky and the firefly Pokémon. She was captivated by the beauty of the night. It was immensely peaceful. Here, in the middle of the woods, there were no street lights to contour the stars in the sky. In fact, she hadn't seen any street lights at all for as long as she had been in this world. No building, no cities, no factories, no people. Being launched into a foreign world as another form without any friends with you might be rather frightening for a normal person, but not for Kendo. She was relieved to be away from the crowds and hustle. She was thankful to be lying alone under the stars with no one to bother her. She didn't care when she would ever make it home, or if she would ever even be human again. Kendo always had a policy of taking everything in stride and having the faith that it would all be okay. Even in this new world, that mental fixation remained unchanged. One by one, the Pokémon vanished from the sky and the night grew darker and darker. Evidently the show didn't last till morning. Kendo rose her head to the sky and howled through her new, doglike muzzle. A few other Pokémon joined in with their cries, then the night fell silent. Dead silent. Restlessness tugged at Kendo, she simply couldn't sleep. The grey dog that was once a girl rose to her feet, stretched, then began wandering through the woods in search of an adventure. She weaved through the cluster of trees until her ears perked at whispers in the wind. The voices spoke of horrible demons in the forest that attacked all who came near, as if they were guarding something. The tones were frightened and nervous, but the words filled Kendo with a spirit of curiosity and eagerness. To her, it was a mystery waiting to be solved. It was a challenge. Silent paws stepped lightly through the grass not far behind two other sets of paws; one white and the other green. The two other Pokémon didn't even seem to notice Kendo. From her few days in the forest, she had observed many creatures, but none quite like these. One was tall with fur as white as an angel's wings. He had a curved silver blue horn on his head, and his face was the same color. This creature walked on all four legs, but seemed a bit unsettled. The way he walked seemed far more forced then natural, as if he wasn't used to it. The other creature had four legs also but was much lower to the ground. It had electric green fur with a yellow marking down its back that resembled a thunderbolt. This creature too seemed a bit awkward, but not as much as the first. Kendo, their silent observer, wondered if perhaps they were like her, stuck in a body that was not their own. Besides, if they were used to being Pokémon, then surly they would have used their instincts and realized that she was following. "Why are we even wondering through this forest?" asked the tall white creature. "Because that giant beaver thing told us that there's a town on the other side. And towns mean people. Maybe someone there can help us." Replied the green creature. At their words, Kendo's heart skipped a beat. She had thought this forest, this paradise, to be part of another world: Part of a wonderful, magical world that she remembered dreaming of nearly every day. She had though that this was really the world of Pokémon, perhaps free of people and pollution and danger. She didn't know if this was just some bizarre extreme dream or not, but either way, she didn't want it tainted by her own kind. "I personally think that we are part of some freaky mind experiment where they try and make us believe we are in some alternate reality. I bet there are tons of people, our parents including, watching us right now, wondering what choices we will make and how long we will last in this virtual world that scientists have created for us." The white creature rambled on and on as they walked. Kendo didn't like his idea one bit. Imagining tons of people observing her was a nightmare. She would much rather be the one doing the observing. The little green and yellow Pokémon opened his mouth to reply but whatever he was going to say forever remained an unspoken thought. A shrill ghostly scream had echoed through the forest. Both boy's faces filled with shock and fear, but Kendo's eyes raised in interest. She sat back behind a bush and watched with her alert red eyes while the supposed demons of the forest surrounded the other two Pokémon. "What business have you here?" "You have trespassed!" "We are the demons of the forest, and for this you shall be punished!" "Punished! Punished! Tortured and punished!" The voices chanted in an eerie tone that made even Kendo shiver. They appeared one by one; ghosts in the night barely visible through the darkness. They were not all the same either, but different. Some had a purple tinge, while others were grey or black. They were all different shapes too. As Kendo stared, she began to recall the names of some of them, the ones that she could make out. A small, evil grin was etched across her face as she looked on, knowing something that the two victims did not. "We were just passing through. Let us leave and we promise not to return." Called the green Pokémon. The demons refused his offer and began to chant the words punish and torture again. Then, one of them stopped and faded out, reappearing right in front of the white creature. "Its an absol!" the demon shouted. "He must bring with him a warning of danger. Absol, what is it? And why have you come out of hiding?" the demon demanded an answer, but the absol had no idea what it was talking about. His legs shook and he stammered as he tried to explain that. "I'm not-, I don't-, that's not my name!" Was all the white creature managed to say. The demons all gave him a blank stare and all was still for a moment. No words were spoken; they were all just blinking at one another, as if trying to come up with an explanation. Finally, one demon made a conclusion." "He must be sick, mental. Poor thing doesn't even know what he is. Scare him off, he is just a dumb lost kid." The demon decided. The others agreed, then the air seemed dense with magic. There was a deep hazy fog and ghostly laughs. Frightening faces flashed all around the two Pokémon. They trembled in fear, then broke away and ran for their lives as fast as they possibly could, tripping as they tried desperately to force all four legs to run. Once they were out of sight, Kendo stepped out from her hiding spot and called out to the demons. "Demons of the forest indeed, you are nothing more then ghost Pokémon out to scare passersby's! Your tricks won't work on me, I am not afraid!" Kendo proclaimed as she glared up at the ghosts. "Besides," she added. "If I remember correctly, dark types are strong against ghosts." At that, the demons of the forest fell silent. It had been a long time since they had encountered someone who did not fear them, even longer someone with the guts enough to threaten them. Even if Kendo had a type advantage, they outnumbered her six to one. It takes lots of guts to challenge that many, and they admired her bravery. "Well gang, I guess we've been found out. Listen, poocheana, if you have no place to go I'm sure you'd be welcome to hang with us a bit." Said a blue-grey Pokémon with pink tips on what seemed to resemble hair. Around the Pokémon's neck were pink spheres that glistened like pearls. She turned to her fellow ghost Pokémon after she made her offer, but none made any objections. Kendo hesitated, considering their offer. She was perfectly happy being a loner, but scaring other Pokémon did seem like an amusing way to past time. Besides, while here she could get used to how Pokémon behaved, perhaps even learn a few valuable things about this new world she was somehow sent too. She nodded. "Okay" she agreed finally. "I'll stay"

The ghost Pokémon led Kendo through the trees to their secret layer. A passage through a hollow tree revealed a secret underground hangout. It wasn't huge, but much larger then Kendo expected. There were six beds made of grasses and leaves, and in the far corner was a pile of berries; the ghosts' stash of food.

"It isn't much, but we don't need much. There's enough space for a bed for you though, if you plan on staying." Said a kind sabyle. Kendo smiled, then nodded. She wasn't typically one to stay with strangers, but she had already taken a liking to these ghosts, as they had to her. A floating head with a purple haze around it, commonly known as a ghastly, helped the misdrevious that had invited her here originally make up her bed. As the night begin to turn to day, the nocturnal creatures settled down comfortably in their beds. Dispute not sleeping all night, Kendo was restless. The ghosts sensed this, so instead of immediately dozing of into the dream world they decided to confide a secret with their newcomer instead.

"You know, there's a reason we scare Pokémon out of here. I mean sure now its just for fun, but we used to have a real reason." The ghastly mentioned slowly. When he saw that he had Kendo's interest, he continued. "There's something hidden in these woods, a map. "

"A map?" asked Kendo. "Like what, a treasure map?" She asked as she began to imagine a wonderful quest for treasure and gold through the forest.

"No, this map doesn't lead to a treasure, it leads to a place" explained misdrevious. "You see in this world there are a few astonishing places unlike any other. Rumor is that these places contain some amazing secret. We were going to find the map, travel to the place, and learn its secrets." She said. "Bu after years of searching we never did find it. It must just be some old folk story like everything else around here seems to be."

"A place?" Kendo asked. "Well what kind of secrets?"

"Well we don't know entirely" said ghastly after a brief pause. "But a place of such wonder must hold some sort of secret. There are rumored to be seven places of stunning appearance. We believe that each place holds some sort of secret."

"The seven wonders of the world." Kendo thought aloud. Perhaps this world was just like hers. Maybe the other Pokémon she had seen before were previously humans too and they were all sent here for some reason. Kendo's mind spun as se thought of all the possibilities. Soon she drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the secrets they could find.

When the light of the afternoon sun seeped into the secrete hideaway in the tree trunk, Kendo woke to find the ghosts still sound asleep. The drive for adventure that had been haunting Kendo's dreams all night long was to strong for her to sit around and wait for her nocturnal friends to awaken, so she darted out of their little home and ran through the trees, deciding to search for the map.

If the ghosts had spent years searching for the map with no avail, then there must be something more to its secret. There must be some trick to finding it. Kendo wandered through the trees, evaluating everything like it could hold the key to discovering this map. _What wouldn't the ghosts think of?_ Kendo wondered. _How would I hide a secret map? _ Hours ticked by, but Kendo had no luck in finding a secret. She hadn't expected it to be easy, but she had at least hoped she would be able to figure something out about this strange map. When night fell, the ghosts came out looking for her.

They all split up and scanned the entire forest for their missing friend. Kendo had never agreed on staying forever, but if she was leaving they at least wanted a chance to say goodbye. She had been the only one to befriend the gang of ghosts.

It was misdrevious who finally found her sitting under a big tree at the far edge of the forest with a look of deep thought on her face. She seemed to be faced with defeat, but refusing to give up. The ghost flew over to her and spoke.

"Kendo, why did you leave? I thought we were going to scare people together." Midrevious asked, hoping the strange poocheana wasn't planning on leaving so soon.

"I want to find that map, I thought perhaps I could figure but something, but I just don't know. I couldn't find anything."

"We have looked for years, how did you expect to find it in a day?"

"I don't know, I didn't really, but I had to try."

Misdrevious nodded in understanding and thought for a moment. "We'll start looking again if it really interests you. Bandite told us to give up after all those years. He said it must be a myth, otherwise we would have found it." She explained. "Honestly I never really believed him. The thought of a hidden land with buried secrets is just to intriguing to let go."

Kendo smiled wide and agreed. She wasn't usually one for teamwork, but this time she could make an exception. It seemed like a perfect set up. They could wonder through the woods scaring Pokémon who passed through while searching for the map.

The two meet up with the other ghost Pokémon and returned to camp when the morning sun crept up again. Misdrevious told the others about their plan. Everyone seemed stoked, everyone except Bandite.

"It's a waste of time." he argued. "We gave up that search long ago, why would we resume it?" He saw no point in chasing after fantasies, and desperately tried to convince the ghost Pokémon to toss the plans aside again, but Misdrevious was persistent.

"Where's your sense of adventure, Bandite?" she asked. "You used to be so into this. Don't you remember you were the one that started the search in the first place." She reminded him.

"That was a long time ago. That was before I realized how foolish I was being. I have ceased my searching and you should too. There's no use chasing after that map again. You can't find something that doesn't exist." He snapped, then turned so his back was to the others and stretched out in his bed to sleep the day away. Misdrevious sighed; obviously not pleased about upsetting her friend, but soon she too retired to her bed, as did everyone else. Kendo however, as always, slept lightly and with her ears up and alert for any unusual sounds in the night.

Something forced Kendo up midday, when everyone else was sleeping soundly still. She lifted her head and glanced around, scanning the room for anything out of the ordinary. It took her a moment to realize what was wrong. Bandite was missing.

Deciding not to alarm the others, she snuck out quietly and wondered through the forest for the missing ghost. Since her friends hated going out during the day, she didn't understand why Bandite would leave, unless perhaps it was because of something very important. Unless of course he just wanted some time alone.

Privacy indeed was what Bandite had wanted. Kendo discovered him sitting in a rather secluded part of the woods. He was focused on something in front of him. Kendo sneaked around behind him and gazed at the paper he was staring at. It was instructions on how to form an exploration team. She had no idea what that was, but it sounded rather intriguing.

Whatever it was, Bandite didn't seem to want the others to know. He was edgy and uneasy. He jumped at every little sound and was constantly glancing around him. Thankfully he never thought to look directly behind him where Kendo was lurking. Finally he rolled up the paper and hid it, then turned and strolled back towards the hideout.

Mind whirling, heart racing, Kendo turned and bolted towards the hideout the long way. If he beat her back he would know that she knew he was missing, and perhaps even suspect that she knew about his secret. She had to get back first, and she couldn't pass him on the way.

Trees whizzed by and she dodged as quickly as she could. She flew over rocks and practically ran on the water like a suicone because she was running to fast. By some sort of miracle, she managed to beat him back, dive in the tree hollow, and collapse on her bed just moments before Bandite arrived. She slowed her breathing quickly and pretended to be sleeping. The act worked, Bandite suspected nothing and returned to his bed without so much as a second glance in Kendo's direction.

When the morning faded and night came back to the forest again, the ghosts woke up to start their nightly rounds of scares and, despite Bandite's evident disproval, their search for the map.

"Misdrevious, what's an exploration team?" Kendo asked when Bandite was out of earshot. The ghost turned towards Kendo sharply. "Why, were you thinking of joining one?" she asked. Kendo shook her head and insisted she was just curious. Her friend relaxed, and then explained.

"It's a team of Pokémon who go out exploring dungeons. Sometimes its in search of treasure, and other times its to find lost Pokémon, or missing items. I personally don't like the idea; they over do it if you ask me. Besides, who would want to risk their lives to help a stranger? Well anyways, Pokémon with a hero complex often join. In a way, if we find the map we will be our own, nonofficial exploration team because we will be scrutinizing the place for secrets."

"Sounds like a neat idea, except for the whole team thing. I'd much rather be on my own."

Misdrevious laughed at that. "Yes, we've all noticed you're more of a loner. You moved your bed the farthest from everyone else's as possible, you don't participate in group discussions much, and when your around more then two Pokémon at once you get antsy." She explained. "It's clear you're more of a loner type."

Kendo didn't even try to deny the truth. Instead she just nodded and thought for a moment. Did Bandite have a hero complex, is that why he wanted to join an exploration team? She had only known him for a few days, but he didn't seem like the hero type. No, there must be some other reason he was so interested in exploration teams. Was it possible that it had something to do with the map that he seemed so disinterested in? Kendo filled the thought away in the back of her mind. She would need more evidence before she came to any conclusions. For now, all she could do was stay alert.

2


End file.
